Cochin is a fast developing commercial and tourist destination. But the city has its own problems – traffic jams, garbage strewn over the place, open drains, potholes, narrow roads and so on. What is it that can be done to make it a much better place to live? This is exactly what CPPR wishes to find out under Reinventing Cochin project….the part played by the state and civil society

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Auto Rickshaw strike in Kochi – the policy imbroglio

by D. Dhanuraj

The recent strike by the Auto Rickshaw drivers in Kochi City
exposes the fundamental flaws in the Governance structure and policy note.
Kochi is one of the emerging metro cities in South India having a total
population of 1.8 million spread out in Cochin and suburbs.

The commuting population to the city from the suburbs and
the neighboring districts generate more than 50% of the total revenue generated
in the State of Kerala. Commuting public use various modes of transport to
reach the city limits that include KSRTC and Private Buses, Private vehicles
like cars and two wheelers and ferry services. But within the city, many depend
on the auto rickshaws (autos as we call them) for a number of reasons;

(1) Though many inroads and by lanes are developed as
commercial streets, at times they are not wide enough for bus services.

(2) Mostly the RTO
has failed in issuing fresh routes for buses to cover these areas.

(3) Another reason is
the scheduling of buses. Anybody waiting for a bus at a bus stop has absolutely
no clue of the timing and route of the next bus. This encourages the commuters
to hire autos to go to their destinations, if they are in a hurry.

(4)The CBD is small in size so that the average commuting
distance is less than 6 to 8 Kms most of the times, which make autos more
preferable.

(5)There is an increased number of women commuters depending
on the autos in Kochi as they consider the autos are more safe and comfortable than
the buses in the city limits.

(6)The autos are available at the door steps in the most
parts of the city and it helps to ease the last mile connectivity issues in the
transportation grid of Kochi.

It is in this context, the strike called by the auto drivers
shall be analyzed. The reason they had cited was the harassment by police for
the irregularities in the meters in the autos.

In the present
context, I largely plead for the meter reading according to the trip charges
against the arbitrary fixation of the charge by the auto driver. I am of the
opinion that if the drivers are tampering the meters, they should be debarred
from driving the autos.

This means, their issue is something different; they claim
that the fare decided by the Government does not meet their expenses hence they
end up bargaining and quarreling with the commuters. They have many reasons for their grievances;
from the diesel price hike to metro corridor congestion to inflation and so on..

Actually, what is the scenario in Kerala in deciding the
auto rickshaw fare? Who is responsible for the auto fares in Cochin? I tried to
understand the latest policy note from the MVD website (http://www.keralamvd.gov.in/images/mvd/GOs/2012/77-12.pdf).
It advocates for more or less the same fares across the State except in a few
cases in few cities (that include Kochi also). But the gist is that the fares
are same across the State. If that is the case, I am tempted to believe that
there is a strong case for revising the ways by which the auto fares are fixed
in the State.

How could it be
possible for the autos to charge the same fare in a hilly district like Idukky
or Wayanad to that with a congested city like Kochi? Don’t you think that the
fares are not based on the actual situations prevailing in the eco system that
each auto rickshaw operates? Why should it be decided at the State level and
not at the city level or at the Urban Local Body (ULB) level.

I strongly believe
there are convincing reasons for the auto drivers to get agitated if the local
conditions, commuting volume and distance, congestion, last mile connectivity
issues etc are not taken solved. The local ward councilors with the help of the
transport expert should be able to work with the auto drivers and their unions
to arrive at the suitable pricing formulas. Or, in the case of city like Kochi,
it shall be the responsibility of the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA
in this case) to deliberate on these matters. Auto rickshaw sector shall be
encouraged and incentivized for using digital meters, android applications, GPS
meters along with assurance of the choice for opting for share autos or single
passenger system. In fact, if the abnormalities
in the system are not solved, this one would be one of the major challenges for
the upcoming Kochi metro as the feeder system through autos will fail to take
off and will lead to conflicts and strikes.

This is a classic case for the empowerment of the city
administration to deal with the basic infrastructure and transportation
requirements!